Viewing 334 - 340 out of 340 Blogs.

<< First  < Previous |  Page:  33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |

2006 will go down as one of the best years of my life. I came here in April pulling my computer on a toboggan and not even Vegas would post odds on my chances of finishing the year at the same desk I sat down to in spring. Well, here I am and better and brighter and more hopeful then ever....

I'd been gone two years plus and on returning I found my reading glasses exactly where I had left them. Ok. they were under the couch. I found my clothes and wished I hadn't. Geez, how many pairs of jogging pants and hooded tops can one man have? But, most important, I found myself and that's funny because I wasn't even looking or knew I was lost. I found the camp journal I had left on the table for others to write their thoughts when here. Most were from my son Kris and it was hard to read them then and I can't read them now because even though he was glad to be on Island Lake, he wished I was here too. JJ and Rose lamented the same thing. 'It's not the same here without the Mayor'....

The plans of mice and men seldom come to fruition but I have hit the jackpot and am reaping the rewards. Keep it simple stupid. And I did. It was in May before I got the internet going and it was only the Tigers run for the World Series that I got Direct TV. I spent most of the summer in the woods which started as a novelty and became an addition. A dang good addiction.....

I found myboomerplace in August and I jumped into my life in a bog with both feet. I was determined to speak openly and honestly and I wanted to chronicle my life with Thoreau like I chronicled the life I wanted in 'Trout Falls Chronicles'. The nice comments came in and I 'worked' hours a day to finally getting my book out and polishing my thoughts. A writer needs to know others are reading and enjoying it and my confidence soared. Beware a Man on a mission. Now, I sit here waiting for the book to be born while I crave egg rolls like Did when Karen was pregnant with Kris and I am just as happy now as then......

I keep thinking I can do positive things and a couple of them will be different this Jan 1. I won't be saying, 'I sure am glad that year is over'. I had many years with that bad mantra. I plan on a new year with a vigorous exercise program because I enjoyed 'the biggest loser' so much. I want to lost 20 pounds, firm up again before I set out for a month downstate and other points that peak my curiosity. I plan on meeting some boomers, I hope, to maybe put a face to a picture for them and me. I'm not necessarily looking for love but looking for life. Love finds us, we don't find it....

I plan to add on the Penthouse Cabin this spring, put in water and a couple bedrooms and a bath. The thought of that makes my head spin. Actual hot water and long showers, oh my..

It may be silly to think my book sales will build the addition but I am not a naysayer but a doer and I'm a believer, Davy Jones. It is just the way I am today. Too many people wait on disappointment and it will seldom let you down. If I go to the barber shop enough I will get my hair cut. The scissors cut both ways, good or bad...

It's easy to say this will be a good year based on the last but it is a stepping stone and I'm stuck on Monkees songs lyrics and step towards who I want to be. It's getting easier every day because the foundation is set now for what is to come and I say, 'bring it on'. I'm more then up to the task ahead and revel in the prize at the end of my journey. I think they call that a legacy.....

Be safe. Happy New Year. Prayers to all and thanks for being my friend this year. Without all of you I would be lost for sure. Were all in this together, eh??

The Hermit walked into the saloon, shook off the snow and sat down on the empty side of the U shaped bar. He shrugged off the cold outside and was thirsty but actually looking for a ride home. That was funny because he had just gotten to town. He had stood by the main road off his cabin by the lake for an hour waiting for a ride and at this time of year most camps were closed for the winter and he could stand out there all day not even freezing his thumb and repeating over and over that patience is a virtue. A winter storm warning was in effect and already a foot of snow had fallen during the night and another foot was expected. The hermit saw this as his window of opportunity. He grabbed a ride finally with an older couple who drove about 20 mph and dropped him off 5 feet from the door of the saloon and he was quite thankful.....

He liked this saloon because he could look across and see other people and not himself in a mirror. Seeing his tired old face would make him drink more when thinking of his hopeless life. It was 9:30 in the morning and all four customers were drinking coffee and Christmas Carols were on the juke box and the hermit ordered a shot and a beer which caught some attention as much as it could in a beer hall. Drinking in the morning is like having eggs and toast before bed and the hermit didn't really care what the others thought or what time of day it was. He really didn't care for life but woke every morning and went to bed every night, day after miserable day. Now, it was almost Christmas and the hermit was hoping to load up on some provisions, forget Christmas and get back home to dig in deep in his own self made misery......

Burner came in the door on the other side of the saloon and waved to the hermit who raised his glass and he immediately thought Burner might be his ride home. After seeing him order a double Tequila that raised all eyebrows Danny reconsidered a ride home in a snowstorm with a guy drinking bail bond booze......

Not many were buddy buddy with the hermit. I guess the nickname gave him away or maybe it was his languid personality and attitude. If anyone in town were to describe the hermit they would say he was distant. And that is how the hermit liked it and was an anachronism at best...

The hermit missed his family but no one in town would know that. They knew nothing of his life but had labeled him as odd. He missed the Christmas with his wife and the girls. He even missed shoveling the driveway that he once thought was a chore. When he was done he could come back inside and smell the cookies in the oven, see the sparkling Christmas tree with the cross at the top and be handed an eggnog and kisses and hugs from the girls. A father loves his girls. He downed the shot of liquor in defiance of remembering the good times while he lived the bad times now......

The saloon began to fill up with holiday revelers and the storm was on everyone's mind as the personality of the bar changed and the laughs got louder with the spirit of the season and the hermit wanted to join in on the fun but something held him back and he blamed it on simply unsure of how he was going to get home. He had learned his lesson spending evenings in town just knowing he would get a ride and it would be midnight and he was the only one in the bar and ended up walking ten miles in the dark until a miner picked him up on the back road going home and spared him frostbite and the last 6 miles....


"You look like Dale Earnhart."

Danny looked to his left and smiled. Back in the 80's his wife had entered his picture in a Dale Earnhart contest and he had won second place. Mustache wasn't right. One of his girls had even brought him to show and tell at school claiming her Dad was Dale. It just made it worse to think of the fun that day and the girls would watch NASCAR races and cheer for Dale until he died that day at Daytona. It was a melancholy metaphor on the hermits life too.....

"Thanks, maybe I've heard that before"

and he went back to drinking thinking this lady was cute as all get out and suddenly he didn't want to get out. Not many even talked to the hermit but waited to talk about him after a sighting of him. A small town can be cruel on one who is different and not sure why. Jesus believes in the one's among us like the hermit and preaches us not to judge others but we do it all the time and the hermit fell through the cracks of apathy....

Danny wasn't sure what to do but he felt something inside of him that he hadn't felt in a long long time. It scared him as much as it pleased him and I think he thought of hope for the first time in a longer time. He wanted more but was so afraid to offer so little to a pretty lady with so much. He didn't know he was judging her too.....

"Merry Christmas"

and Danny held his beer out and she clinked it with his and they both smiled and Danny was thinking of a good line but noticed a ring on her left hand and believed God was laughing at him now to get his hopes up....

Danny politely and predictably but awkwardly excused himself and went to the mean's room to hide and ponder. It was second nature to him to hide and regroup and dig a bigger hole. He turned the water on and it was hot. It felt real good to his hands and he tried to clean off five years in the woods in five seconds and drying his face he knew it was useless but he did comb his hair and wished he could trim his unruly blond beard.....

He put on a brave pessimistic face, sat back down, smiled to her and ordered another beer..

"and one for the pretty lady"

"Thanks. Can you drive like Dale?"

and she picked up her beer and asked if he wanted to sit at a table because the music and noise was so loud they could barely hear each other talk. He said shyly,

"Sure"

and followed her to a corner booth and Danny hadno choice but to see jow beautiful and how yall she was. A tall woman scares any man that can't he can't look in the eyes but all have a fantasy or two about a tall woman. Not sure why but maybe because the Danny was only 5' 8"....

"I see your wearing a wedding ring?"

"My husband died of Cancer a year ago. Hard to take it off."

He noticed a wetness in her eyes....

"Rally?"

"Really".

Danny closed his eyes for a second and felt her pain. Every day since he lost his wife and girls.....

"I lost my wife and my girls. She was taking the girls to school and a truck..."

He couldn't finish. It hurt too much. He looked away from the pretty lady....

She put her hand out and Danny took it in his and it felt so soft and so warm on a cold lonely holiday. He sighed.........

Hi. I'm Danny and I need a ride home"...............

I went outside last night for a breath of fresh air and I heard the lake groaning again. It's the first time I've heard it in about 3 years and it sounds like a whale calling their mate even though I've never heard that sound. It's like a loud low slow groan...

This happens when the air is above freezing with newly frozen ice and the ice moves and settles. I guarantee it will startle you the first time you hear it. Especially when your alone in the woods...

Back in the early days I was afraid of the dark out here. The barking of coyotes on a kill. The lone howl of a wolf. The night time is blacker then black and quieter then quiet. If you let your mind play games, your done...

A few years ago I wasn't as confident as now and walking to the mailbox I would find myself looking behind me like someone was following me. At some point and I wish I knew where, I stopped looking back and looked up and forward. Sometimes turning points in our life happen and we aren't even aware it happened....

I think this is a good thing. The darkness of night in the out doors is a metaphor of our fear of the unknown and where I am in my life journey. I'm just not afraid so much anymore. I do think about meeting up with a rabid Coyote knowing a man with a stick cannot stop getting bit by a savage animal. But, I don't dwell on it, that would be looking back....

You know your lazy when you strap the Christmas tree to the bumper and see that twine from last Christmas...

Same goes for putting up lights that you never took down last year..

December's pleasure is January's pain..

I'd buy an expensive snow shovel if I had a sidewalk...

Remember the old 45 records? They were made of an excreted fluid from a Southeast Asian beetle. Wonder if it was Ringo or Paul??

If we didn't have trains we wouldn't get derailed...

The blood pressure of most birds is way elevated and I want to meet the Doctor who got that black velcro thing around it's leg....

Scientists can't figure out the gravitational pull of hot air ballons to power lines. Or why most tornado's pick on trailker courts.Wink wink....

I've been collecting pet rocks hoping they come back in style...

So Vegas has a homeless problem, eh? This must have the scientisits baffled...

When you bought a ticket on a stagecoach in the old days they had a sign that said, 'there may be delays'.....

If Diamonds are so poular because of there scarcity. I wonder why car keys aren't....

Why do I always feel guilty returning sdomething. I tell three guys in line why before I even get to the cashier...

Lose your receipt and your stuck wearing that purple tie...

I watched part of brokeback mountain and wish I hadn't...

two holidays in less then a week separates a wallet and money...

The anticipation of the present is better then the present itself....

Did you notice that Time magazine named me the person of the year? Or was it you? I think it was us...

My new feeders have been a disaster because of these huge grey and black suirrels. I will never learn. I am very laid back but I am about to lay out one of those corn lovin, feeder destroyin' pests...grrrrr.....

Cool and grey here in Upper Michigan and it's been a bit lonely and going through a mini inevetable slump after the recent burst of good tidings. When things are going good it's like I'm on cruise control but when the other shoe drops I have a hard time finding it. Must be under the couch....

I know this will be a big week besides the usual Christmas stuff. I have Doc on 24 hour call to give me my ride to see my book for the first time. That ought to be one heck of a ride, eh?

I wish everyone a safe and joyful week of fun and frivolity where every meal is a feast and every day is a holiday.....

I bought 4 types of bird feed and set up 3 new feeders and I need a friggen stop light to control the feathered skies. I've got huge red headed wood peckers, yellow and rasberry finches, Groesbeaks and all my other usuall suspects. NPR is on the radio and I enjoy listening to it as opposed to watching those lousy weekend Today show types where they do 5 minute bits after 5 minute bits about how to make a gingerbread house or taste food and tell us how great it tastes. Not that there is anything wrong with that. ha......

I have been considering gathering my best blogs, that's a relative term, eh?, to make into a book. It would be a nice legacy of this year of my remission and the year I rediscovered nature, my life and my living in it at the Penthouse Cabin....

I'm listening to the radio and the story is about a guy who wrote a book called blogging the Bible and that's apropo because I'm blogging my life here every day. I like the idea even more. Going to have to ponder this considering it's a book I've already written. I think it might be nice to interject by month of what I was feeling outside the morning blogs....hmmmmmm.....

Huge week coming up for everyone. Book could be out as early as Tuesday or as late as week end. Either way, Christmas will be here soon. My tree is up and it's a beauty. I had to buy 4 packs of tinsel to equal one of them in the old days and a Poinsettia sits on the table and last night before dark the reflection of it came through my window here at the feeder which was surrounded by red leaves. Surreal for sure. What a beautiful sight and just like me, I didn't plan it to happen, it just did.....

Happy weekend and continued prayers for Nolan and Paula. He is still in a coma and Paula staying at hospital....

This will not be the only accident that will happen and cahange the direction of the Holidays for some. Life waits for no one or no happy occasion as life is lived as it happens....I guess we do the best we can and with Faith and hopping and we stoke the fireplace. pour some egg nog and find the misletoe and line up a lady or a guy. And sing a Christmas Carol or play a CD and count the blessings we have as we end this year that was. To me, it will go down as the best year of my life and that's a fact......

I was walking down a busy road and a biker zoomed by and a pack of smokes tumbled like from the sky and landed on the ground at my feet. The sound of the motorcycle faded as it disappeared down the road. I was walking to the store for smokes and thought this was pennies from heaven and waited for a lighter to roll by next. It didn't but I had matches and lit up a free smoke on my way to buy smokes. I was feeling pretty good when I heard the soft rumble of the bike coming back and the quick gig was up. I pulled the packk out of my pocket and held the pack of smokes out as he slowed down, growled at me behind his fu macho beard and black hair to his waist. He grabbed thesmokes like I was passing a baton and I'm really glad I didn't try to hide them but I did get a free smoke instead of a tire iron beating......

I was living in Florida in a bad neighborhood trailer court and it was dark and I was sitting on the porch. Out of nowhere came a young black kid with something in his hand and my pucker factor went up and I jumped up and told him not to come any closer. I didn't realize he was handing out yellow pages to every house and his dad was in a nearby car. I felt terrible for profiling him and thinking he was a threat to me. I had no intention of doing that but it had happened. I apoligized to him about how sorry I was and asked for the yellow pages and he looked at me with a sense of futility for such a young kid. 'Na man, I'll give it to someone who wants it'.... I'll never forget that look and how bad I felt for that kid.........

I was wading Trout Falls Creek for brook trout when I heard a man swear. I was quite surprised because I had taken great measures to get where I was which was as far away from people as I could get. Then, it was quiet again and I thought the curse was an abberation in my complex mind. After a few seconds, I heard another yell concerning someone's Mother and my immediate reaction was to hide as a danger buzzer went off in my mind but that was the old me and I slushed around a bend of rocks and a fisherman was sitting on a huge rock. He was a big man with a full beard with huge green and yellow suspenders holding up his jeans which were wet to the knee. I groaned because green/yellow meant Packer fan and it was no wonder he was cussing. My Lions were just as bad but I had given up swearing at them. Swearing was too kind for a front office that had destroyed football in Detroit and Michigan. Wisconsin football was almost as bad....

I gave him a hearty hello, 'Ya, the Lions suck too".
He pulled the ear pice out of a MP3 player and smiled at me, 'Favre just threw his 4th interception, that '*&^%&* bleep &%#'...

And it was only the first exibition game in early September......

Wisconsin and Michigan guys get along pretty good. Upper Michigan was actually going to be part of Wisconsin but Ohio got Toledo and Michigan got Upper Michigan from the government back in the 1800's. It was the Toledo Wars and you can look it up. We both liked similiar things and it usually involves outdoors recreation. I tossed him a cold LaBatt's and sat on another rock like we were at a Flintstone's restaurant. We talked of fish and football and he tossed me a second beer which was an unwritten rule of friendship and after we had solved all the problems in the football world we said good bye and good luck and I headed up and him down. It left me with a good feeling and I realized I had never asked him his name. Sometimes that is a nice change of pace on a surprise meeting in the middle of no where....

<< First  < Previous |  Page:  33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |